Woman’s body found in suitcase, man charged with murder

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HENRY COUNTY, Ind. (April 9, 2015)-- Murder charges have been filed one week after the body of 22-year-old Kirsten Sidwell was found after being stuffed in a suitcase, then dumped in a lake. A fisherman discovered the body on April 2 while in the area of Providence Pond, an Indiana Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Area located in northern Henry County.

Anthony Dailey, 37, appeared in court Thursday afternoon to face charges of felony murder and abuse of a corpse. He is being held without bond. Court documents show Sidwell met up with Dailey the night she went missing.

Kirsten's dad, Josh Sidwell, said the last time he saw his daughter alive was the morning of March 31. He remembers saying bye to her before he left for work. When he tried to text her later that day she did not respond.

"But whenever her phone went to voicemail I was feeling something is definitely not right because she never turns her phone off it's always on," said Sidwell.

Sidwell said his daughter knew her alleged killer. He believes the two started seeing each other back in January but he thought they broke it off.

"Kirsten was just the most loving, caring, giving person that you could ever imagine," said Sidwell.

Court documents show Dailey confided in his sister and texted her to say he "messed up." At some point during their conversation he admitted to putting Sidwell in a suitcase and dumping it in a pond. The next day he told his sister he was cleaning up.

Dailey told police he knew Kirsten for seven or eight years but they never dated. Evidence technicians searched his apartment and found carpet fibers that appeared to be consistent with the color of fibers found with Kirsten at Providence Pond. Police also found a blood smear in Dailey's bedroom.

"Her trust was betrayed there's no doubt about that, she knew this dude and he betrayed her trust. He's a worthless waste of oxygen," said Sidwell.

An autopsy was performed but the Henry County Coroner's Officer has not released the results. According to court documents, the primary cause of death appears to be asphyxiation by strangulation, but a pathologist wants to wait on toxicology results to determine the primary cause of death.